The Murder of Keith Bryan
For this case, I watched another episode of Murder Calls. It’s season 3 episode 10, titled ‘Torched Heart.’
The fire chief of a small Oklahoma town is killed in his home.
Background
Keith Bryan was only 52-years-old when he died. He and his wife Rebecca, or Becky, as she was referred as, met when they were seniors in high school. They fell hard for each other, got married after graduation, and eventually had two sons.
Keith was promoted to fire chief of the Nichols Hills Fire Department in 1991. Becky was a stay at home mom until the kids grew up, and then got her real estate license.
Keith and Becky were described as a happy couple. However, as we know, we don’t know what really goes on behind closed doors.
Keith Bryan
Keith and Becky
The 911 Call
On September 20, 2011, a 911 call came in around 10:07pm. The caller was Becky Bryan, and she said an intruder had just come into their home, and shot her husband.
Becky described the intruder as a 25-26 year old male. She said he walked into the house through the garage, into the living room, and shot Keith in the head.
Becky said the man told her he was sorry, and that Keith should’ve hired him. He then fled in a “little itty bitty pickup.” She described it as a dark colored truck, maybe brown or blue.
Becky also made some other statements on the 911 call. She asked for several officers by name. The first responders in the small town of Mustang, Oklahoma, were a very close community, and everyone had connections.
Keith was still alive when the police arrived, and he was rushed to the hospital. He later succumbed to his injuries, and passed away in the early morning hours of September 21.
Becky’s Story
The police interviewed Becky at her home, and again while Keith’s family gathered at the hospital. A GSR had also been done on Becky, before her friend took her to the hospital.
Becky told the police that she had her friend over, and that everything was fine that night. Becky told the police that she had moved out in January 2010, and had filed for divorce. However, she and Keith were back on good terms, and she had canceled the divorce process. She told them that she and Keith were “quite in love.”
Her friend left around 9:30pm. She and Keith went inside, and an intruder came into the home soon after. Becky once again told Detective Camie McNeal, one of the investigators she had asked for by name, that the man told her that he was sorry.
The information about the intruder was sent to the dispatch, and a BOLO (be on the lookout) was put out.
The Investigation
Once everyone was out of the home, the OSBI (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation) processed the scene.
A .380 caliber bullet was recovered. It had been embedded in one of the couch cushions. The murder weapon wasn’t immediately found. (More on that later).
The investigators didn’t have a lot of leads, and they turned back to Becky’s 911 call. They also looked into the revenge theory. They reached out to the Nichols Fire Department, and learned that they hadn’t hired anyone new in about 4 years.
At the Oklahoma City Fire Department, about 20 miles away, the fire chief’s name was Keith Bryant. Keith Bryant was questioned about the hiring process there, and if it was possible that someone had been after him.
Keith told them no, he didn’t have any issues with anyone. The lead went nowhere, and it was ruled out. The police were now suspicious of Becky and her story.
The Affair
On September 21, the OBSI returned to the Bryan home.
Special Agent Martin Solorzano searched the laundry room. Inside the washing machine, was a .380 caliber handgun, bullet, and latex glove. It was sent to the lab.
The police received a tip from a man named Mark Holbrook. Mark revealed that he had an affair with Becky. The two met at a real estate conference. They started off as friends, but the relationship soon became intimate.
Mark said he and Becky talked about divorcing their spouses, and even living together. Becky did file for divorce, but, he soon had a change of heart. He said Becky became manipulative, and he ended things with her. He had a three-way call with Becky, and Keith, and apologized to Keith for what had happened.
He later said:
“In January, I realized (Becky Bryan) wasn’t the person I thought she was; she became manipulative. She tried to stir things up in my mind.”
She’s Become Unhinged
Becky didn’t accept that her affair was over. She called Mark, showed up at his work, at his home, and at his parent’s home. She even went to his son’s school on one occasion.
Becky continued to call Mark, and told him that she was pregnant with his child. A friend of Becky’s revealed that Becky had talked to her about faking a pregnancy test to win him back.
Mark never called her, but she didn’t stop. She sent him a 12-page letter about losing the baby. Becky continued to pursue him, and called him on the night of the shooting, around 7pm.
Becky’s cell phone records revealed that. He told the police that she had left him a message about how she would be coming into some money soon, most likely from Keith’s pension.
The Evidence
The police received the ballistics report from the .380 found in the Bryan home. It was registered to Becky, and it was consistent to the caliber bullets that had killed Keith.
Becky’s GSR test also revealed that she had been the one to fire the gun. Becky had never revealed to the police that she owned a .380 handgun, even after they asked if they had any weapons.
The police had enough evidence to arrest Becky. When they went to her home, she wasn't there. The police had Mark called Becky, to have her reveal her location. She was arrested at a hotel in Oklahoma City.
The police said Becky’s demeanor changed as she was arrested. She started screaming, and asking how they could do that to her.
The Conviction
Becky’s trial began in May 2013.
The prosecution and police believed that Becky went upstairs, grabbed her gun, and wrapped it in a blanket to conceal it. She walked behind Keith, and shot him in the head. She had been wearing a latex glove, but the GSR test was able to find traces of it on her hands.
Becky then put the gun and glove in the laundry machine. She then acted as if she was grieving wife on the 911 call. She asked for specific officers and investigators, hoping they would never suspect her, or look for any evidence.
On May 21, 2013, Rebecca Bryan was found guilty of first degree murder. She was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Rebecca ‘Becky’ Bryan
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s clear that Becky thought she could win Mark back. She probably planned to kill Keith for awhile, and picked September 20 to do it.
I don’t really have much to say, other than I feel so bad for Keith and Becky’s children. They lost both parents, and who knows how they feel about their mom now.
Becky deserves to rot in prison, and think about she did to her husband. Keith did nothing but love her, and work hard for her and their family.
Sources
https://murderpedia.org/female.B/b/bryan-rebecca.htm
https://www.koco.com/article/hugo-man-describes-affair-with-murder-suspect-becky-bryan/4293275
https://www.oklahoman.com/article/3828274/rebecca-bryan-guilty-of-murdering-her-husband-in-2011
https://okcfox.com/archive/becky-bryan-sentenced-to-life-for-killing-husband
